This got me thinking of a method of assembly which requires no screws or air nailer. It's an old carpenters trick for using finish nails and avoiding splitting: use a same-sized finish nail with the head cut off as a drill bit to drill the pilot holes. Then drive the nails into the holes. The finish nails will fit perfectly snug without splitting. You may find it less work than screws- the nails drive really easily with a single firm tap and counter sink cleanly. You don't have to change from drill bit to screwdriver bit. You'll have cleaner smaller holes, there's less patching and it will be less noticeable. If you are using tolex or duratex, you don't really need to patch at all.
All you need are some finish nails of the same size, a drill, a hammer, and something to cut the head off the nail, such as a pair of diagonal cutters. A nail set is handy, but another nail should work in a pinch to set the nails. The trick is to not hit the nail so hard you end up with a hammer dent in your work. Just enough to bring the base of the head to the surface, then set it just below the surface with the nail set.
A single nail will drill dozens of holes - especially in plywood, despite not being an actual drill bit. It will apply sufficient pressure to a joint to hold traditional non-expanding wood glue until it cures for a very strong joint. For PL or Gorilla type glue, you'll probably want to clamp as well (though you could avoid that hassle by using standard non-expanding wood glue - assuming your joints fit flush and tight).
Despite having a compressor and air nailers, I still use this technique frequently- especially when I just need to drive a few nails and the compressor isnt set up.
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